Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

इति ते कथितं देवि सरस्वत्याः समुद्भवम् । श्रुतं पापहरं नृणां कीर्त्तिदं पुण्यवर्द्धनम्

Transliteration

iti te kathitaṃ devi sarasvatyāḥ samudbhavam | śrutaṃ pāpaharaṃ nṛṇāṃ kīrttidaṃ puṇyavarddhanam

Translation

Ainsi, ô Déesse, je t’ai exposé la manifestation de Sarasvatī. Lorsqu’on l’entend, elle efface les péchés des hommes, confère la renommée et accroît le mérite.

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्यसमाप्ति/उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)

• te: to you
• te: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया/चतुर्थी?; here: चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन (ते = to you)

• kathitam: told, narrated
• kathitam: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kathita (कृदन्त; √kath कथ्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भूतकृत्-प्रत्यय (क्त); कर्मणि; used predicatively 'has been told'

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• sarasvatyāḥ: of Sarasvatī
• sarasvatyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• samudbhavam: origin, emergence
• samudbhavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• śrutam: heard
• śrutam: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śruta (कृदन्त; √śru श्रु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्यय; 'heard' (as a thing heard)

• pāpa-haram: sin-removing
• pāpa-haram: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पापं हरति इति)

• nṛṇām: of men/people
• nṛṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• kīrtti-dam: fame-giving
• kīrtti-dam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kīrtti (प्रातिपदिक) + da (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (कीर्तिं ददाति इति)

• puṇya-varddhanam: merit-increasing
• puṇya-varddhanam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + varddhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पुण्यं वर्धयति इति)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarasvatī-prādurbhāva (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A storyteller-sage recites Sarasvatī’s manifestation to attentive listeners; above them Sarasvatī appears as a blessing presence; symbolic dark smoke of sins dissolves, while a garland of fame and a growing heap of merit (puṇya) is shown allegorically.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (devotional listening) to sacred narratives is itself a dharmic act that purifies sin and increases puṇya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where Māhātmya-hearing is presented as spiritually efficacious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Listening/hearing (śravaṇa) of the Māhātmya is recommended as a purificatory practice.